Sanctuary
by zgirl21
Summary: Alternate Universe where Anakin wasn't accepted into the Jedi Order and was sent back to Tatooine instead. Padme is never far from his thoughts but one day, he receives devastating news...
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Everything happened inTPM except Anakin was not accepted by the Order and was sent back to his mother on Tatooine. The story picks up ten years after TPM and so Anakin and Padme are the same age as they are in AOTC._

SANCTUARY

Chapter One

The bustling traffic of speeders and pedestrians flowed through Mos Espa surprisingly smoothly. The streets were usually accident prone but today was different somehow. People pushed and shoved, especially the slaves, to get where they were going. Some headed to work, others returned to their owners, while even more looked for someone to hustle. Because the traffic was relentlessly heavy, dust was a serious problem. However, many simply wiped their eyes, their clothing, and whatever items they carried and continued on their way.

The city itself was not an establishment to be proud of. Slavery on Tatooine was still the most prominent source of income and Mos Espa was a prime market for buyers and sellers. Gambling was not only a nasty vice for many in the city but also provided an underground marketplace that overwhelmingly fueled slavery. Thieves and swindlers ran rampant and it was often difficult to differentiate between them and all other occupants of the city. It was the perfect resting place for transgressors with little to no interference from Tatooine's makeshift government or the rest of the galaxy.

Anakin Skywalker reluctantly left the safety of his speeder and ventured quietly into this world. He stepped swiftly to the edge of the street having learned that it was better to go as unnoticed as possible in Mos Espa.

His grip on the paper he held tightened when a passer-by unnoticing bumped into him. Despite his best efforts, the paper floated out of his hand and into the street. Cursing under his breath, he jogged into the street, narrowly dodging traffic, and promptly swiped the paper back into his anxious hand. He quickly removed himself from the traffic's path and back safely to the side of his street, chuckling at his good luck. He didn't know what he would have done if he had lost that paper. He had had no choice but to head into the city in search of a lost part for the droid he was repairing and the paper that now rested safely in his hand contained the serial number. He hated having to enlist the help of competing repair shops, but the city was his last option.

He decided it was safer tucked into his pants pocket and after the action was finished, he patted his pocket to make sure it was really there. Satisfied with his finding, he continued on his way.

The first mechanic had never seen the part before. The second and the third informed him that it was more likely for Mustafar to freeze over than to locate that part. Unable to admit he was fighting a losing battle, he went to every mechanic and repair shop in the city except one. When he came up empty-handed at every corner, he grudgingly headed toward his final option.

* * *

Watto's shop hadn't aged a bit. In fact, he even had a new young slave-boy running his doing his biding. Anakin had to repress a moan of agony when Watto appeared from the back room to greet his customer. 

The plastered smile of welcome quickly faded from Watto's face as his eyes squinted in recognition. Then a genuine smile appeared. "Ani, is that you?"

Anakin nodded curtly as he approached the counter. "I'm looking for this part."

Watto's smile faded at Anakin's cold tone and he simply nodded, taking the paper from Anakin's outstretched hand. He gestured for the slave-boy, who had retreated to the corner at Anakin's arrival, and gave the small paper to him. While the boy ran to check the records, an awkward silence emanated in the room.

Watto fluttered nervously behind the counter while Anakin refused to make eye contact with him. Watto cleared his throat and attempted a conversation.

"I was real sorry to hear about your mother."

Pain flashed through Anakin's eyes and he bit his lip to suppress his reaction to Watto's seemingly heartfelt regards.

Somehow, he managed to choke out: "Thank you."

Watto nodded, grateful for a response and decided to continue the conversation, oblivious to Anakin's discomfort. "I always knew she would do well with…uh…Cliegg. He married her, didn't he?"

Anakin nodded, swallowing what little pride he had left in that moment.

Watto finally realized that his topic of conversation was a sensitive one for Anakin and he dropped his attempts. His eyes lighted up when the boy finally returned and whispered the results of his search in Watto's perked ear.

"We don't have the part here but I did find one on Fehern. Do you want me to order it for you?"

Anakin grimaced. If he ordered the part from Watto, it also meant he would have to endure Watto again. But he needed this part and Watto had found one for him, which he knew had not been an easy feat. With a heavy heart, Anakin nodded his consent.

Once the transaction was finally complete, Anakin practically sprinted out of the shop after shoving his receipt roughing in his pocket. He started jogging back to his speeder but once he remembered he had parked it on the other side of the city, he picked up the pace in an urgent need to get out of the city.

Images of his mother swirled around in his head and he shook it in a desperate attempt to force the painful memories from his consciousness. Her voice calling to him…holding his hand moments before she died…smiling calmly up at him. She had been so sick and when she finally passed, he found himself sighing with relief that it was over for her. She had found rest in a life full of labor and toil and he knew he would be forever grateful to Cliegg for giving her a taste of happiness while she was still alive.

He was jerked from his memories when a small female body collided with his. She almost fell but his arms quickly caught and steadied her before she tumbled over. She kept her head down and he almost caught a glimpse of her face when her hood slightly rose which she immediately shifted back in place.

"Sorry about that, miss." He offered politely.

She started to reply but then decided otherwise and promptly continued in the opposite direction as him. As he watched her retreating form, he shook his head at the woman's rude inability to provide a response to his apology. But by observing her more carefully, there was something familiar about her that he couldn't place, reminding him of a distant memory that still managed never to stray far from his thoughts. He couldn't decide if it was the way she walked or her mysteriously distinctive scent or even the feel of her in his arms. No…what would she be doing in Tatooine? It wasn't her. But he was sure he had never seen her in Mos Espa before because she stuck out like a sore thumb. As he took one last glance before climbing in his speeder, he silently prayed that nothing bad happened to her while she was there. A lone woman in Mos Espa wasn't hard to miss and she looked like she didn't know where she was going.

For a split second, he considered catching up to her and offering to take her wherever she needed to go. But before he could make his decision, his comlink beeped loudly.

"Anakin? Where are you? You should've been back an hour ago!"

"I know Owen. It took a lot longer than I thought it would."

"You found it though, right?"

Anakin laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I had to order it though. It should be here in about a week or two."

"That's great news. Now Zambo can finally get off our backs about fixing that rackety old droid. Where'd you find it from?"

Anakin paused for a moment before answering coolly: "Watto's shop."

The relieved smile fell from Owen's face. "Oh…I'm sorry you had to go there. Last resort, huh?"

Anakin smiled bravely. "No other choice, brother."

Owen shook his head before saying his goodbye. Once the transmission ended, Anakin placed the comlink back into his speeder. He took one last look for her, hoping that she was still lingering, but unfortunately for her, he feared, she had long disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

"Anakin, did you sign up for the Boonta Eve Classic yet?" 

"I did yesterday but I should've waited until my pod was completely repaired."

Cliegg nodded and placed a sympathetic hand on Anakin's shoulder. "I know, son. You know I would help you get a new pod in a heartbeat, especially after you almost crashed in the Mos Espa Open, but we just don't have the credits for it yet."

"I know, I know. Don't worry about it. Owen and I are going to working on it day and night until it's as good as new."

Cliegg chuckled good-heartedly. "Well, if anyone can fix that piece of junk, it's you two."

Anakin playfully hit his arm. "Hey…that's my baby you're talking about!"

"Oh yes…the same one that almost killed you, right?" Cliegg retorted.

Anakin shook his head and held up his hands in defeat. "Alright, alright. Don't you worry, Cliegg, because we're going to fix it up so good it's going to purr…mark my words, Cliegg, and by the way, I'm going to win the Classic too."

Cliegg chuckled heartily and threw the towel he was using at Anakin. "Is that right? Well, it's your turn to make dinner so you better get going so you can work on your garbage."

As Cliegg contentedly walked away, Anakin muttered under his breath that his baby was anything but garbage then switched on the holonet before dutifully starting dinner. He listened inattentively to the boring news from around the galaxy but his attention perked up at the mention of Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and he hung on every word. Apparently, Kenobi and his apprentice had had a close call with some of the Separatists but were now resting safely at the Jedi Temple.

Anakin sighed and wiped his brow. There had been a time when all he had wanted was to be a Jedi. He had almost been given the chance, thanks to Qui-Gon, but it was not to be, as his mother had reassuringly told him. He knew how badly she had wanted that for him so that she would know that at least one of them had been able to break free from Tatooine. When the Council sent him back to Tatooine, he had spent the entire trip trying to decide how to tell her. It didn't help that he was freezing and without that soothing presence to blanket him. After he had broken the news to his mother, she had simply smiled and embraced him tightly to her bosom. At least everything had eventually worked out for them when Cliegg bought and freed them.

But that didn't stop him from wondering what would have happened to them if the Council had accepted him. Apparently, he was too old and too afraid. At the time, he had fiercely convinced himself that he wasn't afraid of anything. But over time, ten years to be exact, he had learned that he was afraid and that even a little fear was necessary sometimes.

At the same time, he was grateful that he had not been accepted into the Order. Even as a naïve nine-year-old, he could sense that Kenobi and the rest of the Council didn't trust him. He knew he wouldn't have been able to deal with that. To add to the argument, he had learned from the holonet and his own research about some of the Code's mandates. Almost everything he had found he couldn't agree with, especially the rule on attachment. His mother had raised him to embrace his attachments and the love he had for his family, which would have made attempting to abide by the Code a tremendous battle. After learning that, his regret in not being chosen had dimmed significantly.

But deafening news jolted him from his thoughts and his eyes fixed on the holonet as the words poured from the reporter's lips: "As we reported earlier today, Senator Amidala has been assassinated. The Senator's family had decided to keep the news private until her funeral procession in her home planet of Naboo just a few hours ago. But now, we've just learned that after the Senator's tomb has been broken into and her body is missing. We've already spoken to several members of the Jedi Order about this heart-breaking incident and they've sworn to find the culprit behind this civil tragedy who they believe to be involved with the Separatists…"

"Anakin! The food….Anakin, you're letting it burn!"

Cliegg and Owen pushed past a motionless Anakin to try to save their dinner, not noticing that his tear-brimmed eyes never left the screen.

"Anakin…Anakin?"

Owen moved closer to the screen to see what had Anakin rooted to his spot. His eyes widened as the reporter began repeating what Anakin had just heard and his gaze automatically flew to Anakin's tense features. His clenched fist was pressed against his mouth as he desperately tried to register what had just happened.

"Anakin…I…"

At the sound of Owen's voice, Anakin's eyes flashed in coiled anger. "You knew about this and didn't tell me?"

Owen shook his head quickly. "No, I swear. I've been in the shop all day and Dad's been in the fields. I had no idea…I'm so sorry."

He moved to place his hand on Anakin's shoulder, which he angrily pushed away. "Just leave me alone for a while."

Anakin walked to the other side of the room with his shoulders heaving heavily and as Cliegg moved from the kitchen to the living room to see what was going on, he immediately noticed that Anakin was shaking uncontrollably.

"Anakin, what's the matter?"

Anakin just shook his head and wiped his eyes.

Cliegg looked helplessly at Owen who answered quietly: "Senator Amidala was assassinated and now her body is missing."

Cliegg's eyes flew to Anakin as Owen gently spoke and swallowed empathetically when Anakin covered his face with his hands, muffling a sob.

Anakin could take no more. Hearing it for the third time was torture and it felt like his heart just had been ripped open. He pushed past Cliegg's attempts to talk to him and tore away to his room. He slammed the door in agony and took a few steps into his room, each step more painful than the next. Somehow he made it to his most treasured possession and carefully grasped it. His fingers lightly traced her painted face, smiling at how happy she had been that day; even the glowing ball in her small hands hadn't been able to overshadow her mesmerizing essence.

He sighed and gently placed the picture back in its place. His eyes drifted back to it again and this time, he couldn't stop himself. His grief overwhelmed him like a tidal wave and the weight of it was too much to bear. His shoulders began to tremble and tears rolled down his cheeks as he finally allowed himself to feel the loss of the woman he had loved for ten years.


	2. Chapter 2

SANCTUARY

Chapter Two

Anakin sat motionless on his bed with his body leaning against the wall. He managed not to think of Padme for two minutes, trying to occupy his mind with thoughts of what he needed to do with his pod, of the sale he forgot to record that Owen was going to scold him for…but sooner or later, everything went back to her. He shook his head in disbelief as his eyes once again found her picture. She was the kindest, gentlest, most beautiful person he had ever met. He couldn't believe that there had been people that wanted her dead. After every assassination attempt he had heard about, he prayed for someone, anyone to protect her and keep her safe. But whoever had had that job had failed.

He banged his head against the wall several times in frustration. How could she be gone? She had dedicated her entire life to her people and the Republic and she had been repaid with death. He shook his head at how twisted life could be and his eyes brimmed over with tears as his fists clenched tightly in his lap.

Someone had stolen her body. Someone had disturbed her place of eternal rest and stolen any good that was left in the galaxy. His face twisted in anger when he thought about what had happened to her body and how it had been treated. He couldn't even bring himself to think about what was going to happen to her body now. It just wasn't fair.

Every day for ten years, he watched the holonet to hear of any news of her. Most days, he was given the gift of seeing short glimpses of her and even hearing her beautiful voice in excerpts of her countless addresses to the Senate. Because of that, he had been able to watch her mature into the breathtaking woman she had become as well as follow her career. On those days, he had a little skip in his step and not even an appearance by Watto could bring him down. Whenever there was no news of her, he reasoned that no news was sometimes good news and simply looked forward to the next day's broadcast.

That was all gone now. Some heartless murderer, probably a Separatist, had taken her away forever and the entire galaxy had lost one more fearless leader.

He sighed again as exhaustion began to take over. He shifted himself in a more comfortable position and fell back against his pillow. Sleep seemed like a blessing at that moment and his heavy lids quickly closed. But peace only lasted for a few minutes because the loud buzzing of their front door jerked him from his much needed rest.

He threw his pillow over his head as he heard heavy footsteps clunking towards the door. After a few moments, some murmurs echoed into his room and he pressed his hand against his pillow a little harder. Without warning his door creaked open slowly, but he refused to greet whoever had decided to disturb him.

"Anakin…get up…there's someone at the door for you…" Owen whispered excitedly.

Anakin's response was muffled by his pillow and when Owen tried to pry the pillow from his hands, Anakin's grasp only tightened.

"Come on, Anakin…you'll be glad you got up, I promise."

Anakin lifted the pillow from his head and growled: "Tell whoever's here that I don't want to see them and leave me alone."

Owen grabbed the pillow that Anakin had placed back over his head and this time, he was able to wrestle it from his iron grip. "Get up, Anakin."

Anakin tried to steal his pillow back but after numerous failures, he sighed, ran a hand through his hair and rose from the bed. "This better be important."

"Trust me, it is." Owen chuckled.

Anakin just rolled his eyes and followed Owen out into their living room. His brow immediately furrowed in confusion when his gaze found the small dark figure near the doorway, quickly recognizing the woman he had bumped into in the city. He watched in amazement as her tiny hands reached up and lifted the hood from her head only to reveal a ghost.

Anakin's face turned white and his mouth gaped open in pure shock. "Padme?"

She smiled softly and nodded.

He only continued to stare at her in disbelief and dared to move a few steps closer. His eyes widened at the sight before him and he froze when he realized that she really was standing in front of him. He tried to speak but his throat had become so dry from the shock that only a low sound escaped his lips. After swallowing quickly and wetting his lips, he moved even closer having finally found his voice.

"Padme…what are you doing here? I thought you were…"

Padme nodded quickly and without thinking, wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. "It's so good to see you, Ani. I…I know what you thought…I need a place to stay…"

She trailed off as she released him. Her eyes silently called to him and he knew he would do anything she asked of him.

His eyes quickly searched the room for Cliegg and wordlessly pleaded to him. Cliegg nodded graciously and walked to where Anakin and Padme were standing.

"You're more than welcome here, miss."

Padme smiled with relief and quickly caught Cliegg off-guard with a hug. "Thank you…I can't tell you what this means to me. I don't know how long I'll be here but I can pay you whatever you want and…"

Cliegg immediately interrupted her. "No, no, no, my dear. You don't have to pay us. Any friend of Anakin's is a friend of ours. You're welcome in our home for as long as you like."

"Thank you, Mr. Lars."

"Please, call me Cliegg."

She smiled then looked back at Anakin, who could barely contain his elation. His happy grin spread widely across his face and his arms itched to hold her again. Even in the dim light, she was the most intoxicating creature he had ever seen and knowing that she was alive only added to his fascination. Owen snapped him out of his revelry by slapping him on the shoulders.

"See, Anakin, I told you you'd be happy you got up." He said triumphantly.

Anakin didn't even want to think of a smart comeback. There were more important things to think about now.

Seeing that Anakin was planning on ignoring that, Owen decided to press a little further. He leaned forward and grasped Padme's hand in his. "I'm glad you're alright, Padme. It's good to finally meet you by the way. I've heard a lot about you from Anakin and…"

"Owen, why don't you get Padme's bags from the speed-taxi out there." Anakin interrupted.

Owen shook his head then shrugged before walking outside to retrieve Padme's things.

Cliegg ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Don't worry about him, miss, he just likes to give Anakin a hard time about anything and everything he can think of."

"That's alright. And Cliegg, please call me Padme." She said, smiling warmly.

Cliegg returned her smile but frowned when he saw her try to hide a yawn. He leaned closer to Anakin and said lowly: "I just remembered we only have three bedrooms, Anakin."

"That's no problem, Cliegg. I can sleep on the couch…"

"You can have my room, Padme." Anakin interrupted quickly.

Padme shook her head. "No, Ani. I couldn't take your room. I'm causing you all enough trouble already."

Anakin fervently shook his head again. "Padme, you're a guest. Guests shouldn't have to sleep on the couch."

After a few moments, Padme acknowledged that he wasn't going to back down and sighed in defeat. "Alright, you win. If you don't mind, I really need to lie down for a few minutes."

Anakin nodded and motioned for her to follow him after she thanked Cliegg one more time. He gestured for her to enter the room first and she smiled at him gratefully.

Padme cautiously entered the room and almost tripped over the pillow. Her eyes wandered it quickly and she couldn't stop the faint smile from creeping to her lips. The sight before her wasn't quite what she was expecting but it was endearing just the same. Clothes were strewn about, the bed was unmade, and droid parts rested carelessly in the middle of the room.

Anakin walked in behind her and when he saw the state his room was in, his mouth gaped open. He promptly scrambled to clean up the room, throwing the clothes and parts under his bed. He hurriedly fixed the sheets on his bed and when he looked up, he met Padme's understanding eyes. She smiled gently before moving across the room and sat down carefully as Anakin moved a few feet away from the bed.

She sighed and gripped the edge of the bed to keep herself from falling over. Her eyes shut tightly as she tried to steady herself to keep Anakin from worrying about her. When her eyes finally opened again, she was met with his concerned gaze. She bit her lip and started to open her mouth to reassure him but Anakin stopped her.

"Padme…are you alright?"

She looked down and sighed. When she met his gaze again, she couldn't hide the truth from him. "I'm fine now. I'm just…really exhausted. The last few weeks have been the worst in my entire life and I think everything has finally caught up to me. I just…I just need to rest for awhile."

He nodded slowly, biting his lip to keep himself from asking what he desperately needed to know. Instead, he smiled calmly and moved towards the door. Before he left, he turned to her one more time and offered softly: "If you need anything, I'll be right outside."

She smiled gratefully and nodded. She waited until the door closed then finally allowed her body the rest it had been begging for. Her rested comfortably on Anakin's pillow and within moments, her tired eyes closed for much needed sleep.

* * *

Anakin shut the door and looked up only to meet Owen's impatient gaze.

"So?"

Anakin rolled his eyes and walked into the living room where Owen was waiting for him.

"What do you want?"

Owen smiled good-naturedly. "Did she tell you why she was here?"

Anakin shook his head. "No and I didn't ask either so drop it."

Owen's mouth fell open. "The woman of your dreams shows up on your doorstep and you don't have the guts to ask why?"

Anakin lowered his voice and leaned closer to him. "Keep it down, she's sleeping."

Owen's eyebrows rose slightly and his arms crossed across his chest. "In your room, huh?"

Anakin's annoyed eyes lifted to the ceiling and he sighed. "As you know, we only have three bedrooms. So I gave her mine."

"Naturally." Owen smirked.

Anakin just shook his head. "I'm going to go work on my pod. Will you let me know when she wakes up?"

Owen grinned and nodded. "You bet."

Anakin rose to make his way towards their shop but couldn't stop himself from throwing his own jab. "Why don't you go call Beru…Owie-bear…"

He quickly ducked, just barely missing the pillow that had been angrily thrown at his head. He chuckled at the memory of accidentally overhearing Beru use the endearment for her boyfriend and had even had to clamp his hand over his mouth to keep his uncontrollable laughter from being heard by the unknowing couple. That little piece of blackmail had definitely proven to be useful.

He smirked at Owen one last time before heading to their shop. His step had a little more bounce in it than usual and he whistled softly as he unlocked and entered their repair shop. His eyes easily found his broken down pod in the darkness and he walked over to it.

He patted it softly and whispered: "Now all I have to do is get you fixed up and my life will be just about perfect."


	3. Chapter 3

SANCTUARY

Chapter Three

Padme's eyes fluttered open slowly and she yawned. Her arms stretched above her head and leisurely sat up against the bed. She sighed, finally feeling relaxed and free from the tiredness and ache that had been chasing her for weeks. Her eyes widened at the darkness in the room and she realized that she had slept for much longer than intended. It only took her a few more moments for her to get out of bed and she switched on the light, her eyes squinting at the sudden brightness.

Her brow furrowed when a small picture on Anakin's dresser caught her eye. She walked over to the dresser and her eyes widened when she realized who was in the picture. She carefully picked it up and smiled softly at the image before her. She was amazed at how happy she looked in the picture, but then again, it had been one of the best days of her life. She sighed and placed the picture back on the dresser. Her life had changed far too quickly after that day.

Her eyes wandered back to the picture and she found herself smiling at the image of a ten-year-old Anakin. He was smiling up at her and when she looked more closely, his eyes seemed to have a little hint of sadness in them. Even in that moment of joy, he had known that he might never see her again. She hadn't even thought of that until after the ceremony was over.

She sighed again. They had both had to grow up too fast.

Her eyes squinted when they caught a glimpse of something sticking out of the picture frame. She picked it up again and turned it around in her hands. Her eyes widened when she realized that some paper was behind the picture in the frame. Against her better judgment, she quickly opened the frame and stared astonished at the letter that sat in her hands. She didn't have to unfold the letter to know what was in it or who it was from. The Nubian letterhead told her that. She clutched the letter tightly and her heart raced quickly at the knowledge that Anakin had saved her letter.

She had sent it to Anakin and Shmi shortly after she found out that Cliegg had freed them. She had almost sent a hologram but then quickly decided it against because that seemed too impersonal. It wasn't very long and she hadn't had enough time to properly say everything she wanted to. But Shmi replied her heartfelt thanks within days and that had been the last she'd heard of Anakin and Shmi. She had always regretted not contacting them after that but her life had become much more hectic when she accepted a seat on the Senate. There just wasn't enough time in the day for her to contact old friends, especially people she had barely known which made Anakin's immediate acceptance of her all the more surprising.

She heard footsteps in the hallway and putting the letter back in its place, she quickly reassembled the frame. Deciding that now was as good a time as any to venture out, she quickly smoothed the creases in her outfit and cautiously opened the door.

"Well, there you are. I was beginning to think you were unconscious in there."

She smiled softly at Owen, who was resting comfortably in the living room. "I just really needed to rest."

He simply shrugged and gestured to her small bag on the floor. "I was going to bring it to you but I didn't want to wake you."

"Thank you."

Owen looked down and rested his chin in his hands before looking back up at her.

"That's a pretty small bag for someone that's staying here indefinitely."

Padme swallowed quickly and shifted her weight nervously. "I know. I couldn't bring very much."

Owen's eyes narrowed slightly and he leaned forward. "You're not in any trouble, are you Padme?"

"No one's going to come looking for me, if that's what you're asking."

"So…you faked your death, then?"

Padme took a small step back, now feeling very uneasy with where the conversation was heading.

Owen frowned and stood up hastily. "I'm not trying to interrogate you, Padme. I just wanted to make sure you're alright because I knew Anakin would never ask you."

She nodded slowly. "Where is he?"

"Oh…he's in his playhouse. Do you want me get him for you?"

"No, that's alright. I can get him…his playhouse?" She cocked an eyebrow and looked at Owen quizzically.

"We run a repair shop. It's right outside. You can't miss it." Owen replied, trying to mask his laughter.

Padme smiled carefully towards Owen then quickly picked up her bag and retreated back to Anakin's room. After setting it down on the floor, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Deciding to avoid Owen's curious eyes, she swiftly exited the room and went through the hallway to find their shop without a single glance his way.

Once she was safely outside, she saw the repair shop almost immediately. It was a small, metal shed that appeared to have been recently painted bright cherry. She smiled faintly. Owen was right. Definitely impossible to miss. She was walking hastily now, although she wasn't quite sure what her hurry was. Perhaps she still felt uneasy over her short conversation with Owen. Or maybe she was eager to walk for awhile, even if was just for a short distance. Even more likely, after everything that happened to her and now that she was destined to reside on this desolate planet, she just needed to see a friendly, familiar face.

It didn't take long for her to reach the shop and when she did, she hesitantly knocked on the door, although she was unsure why. She knew there was no reason to feel hesitant around Anakin. But he had grown into a man that she didn't even pretend to know and that both saddened and scared her.

Anakin opened the door, thrusting her from her thoughts, and his brow immediately furrowed in confusion. "Padme?"

Before she could reply, the sight of him registered in her mind and she grinned heartily for the first time in a very long time. He was covered in grease and the fact that his face was smudged all over certainly didn't make it any easier not to laugh at the sight.

Anakin was only more confused by her reaction to him until he looked down and realized what was so funny. He smiled sheepishly and disappeared into the shop for a moment. He returned to the doorway, shortly, while scrubbing his face with a towel. "Let me guess, Owen told you to come out here."

"Actually Owen offered to get you himself but I wanted to get you. I suppose I just wanted to see your shop."

Anakin nodded slowly, wondering why she would want to see a shed full of broken parts, dust, and grease. After a few moments, he realized that she really did want to see come inside and he moved out of the doorway so she could enter.

She did so cautiously, as if she thought something would fall on her at any moment, and she looked around in quick observance of her surroundings. When her eyes fell on his still injured pod, her eyes widened and she immediately walked over to it. She patted it softly, marveling that it still looked just as she remembered it.

"You still race?"

His head snapped up when he heard her voice. He hadn't been paying much attention to her wanderings and had instead nervously stared at the floor. But now, seeing that she had found it, he was at her side within seconds.

"Yeah, I do. I try to race as much as I can. I'm planning on racing in the Boonta Eve Classic in a few weeks, if I can get my pod fixed by then, that is."

She smiled absent-mindedly, listening as he continued about the other races he had participated in, what place he took, the various problems he was currently facing in repairing his pod. Her hand lightly traced a line along the edge of the machine and she was transported back to a certain time ten years ago when everything was much more complicated but still simpler. She had forgotten the exhilaration of watching a race as well as the overwhelming fear she had felt for Anakin. It seemed like a lifetime ago, when he had so willingly put his life on the line for people he barely knew. She sighed and looked back up at Anakin, who was watching her carefully.

"Where were you just now?"

She paused and looked down for a split second, then met his eyes again. "I was just thinking about that race ten years ago."

He opened his mouth but shut it quickly, unsure of what he was supposed to say. There were so many things he wanted to say to her but he wasn't sure if he would ever be able to. Instead of responding verbally, he helplessly nodded for lack of a better response.

Padme bit her lip at his response, immediately noticing his discomfort. "Are you ready to go in the house? I can wait if you're not…"

"No, no…we can go. Are you hungry at all? I can make you something when we get inside."

She smiled softly at his kindness towards her and nodded slightly. "That would be nice. Thank you."

He grinned back at her, grateful to see her smile and more than willing to do something nice for her. They walked back in silence, both unsure of what to say to the other, both needing to tell the other what was weighing on their consciences.

* * *

The griddle sizzled, signaling to Anakin that it was ready for the food he was preparing. He quickly finished chopping the remaining vegetables, splashed a little oil on the griddle, and threw the vegetables and meat on. He turned back to Padme, who was seated across from him on the counter and watching him curiously. He immediately recognized the question in her eyes and shrugged.

"We take turns making the meals…ever since Mom…I mean…"

As he trailed off, Padme's eyes widened in alarm. Suddenly, it made perfect sense. She had noticed that Shmi wasn't there, but hadn't had the opportunity or the energy to ask where she was. Now she understood.

"Oh Ani…I'm sorry…I didn't know."

He shrugged again and turned to the griddle to flip Padme's meal. When he turned back, his eyes had transformed into steely ice. "Well, the death of a former slave doesn't really qualify as news, does it?"

She reached over the counter, grasped his hand in hers, and squeezed tenderly. She immediately saw the unshed tears in his eyes and felt her own eyes swell with tears. Suddenly, discomfort crept into Anakin's eyes and Padme promptly released his hand. He wordlessly went back to preparing her meal and within minutes, it was sitting in front of her.

She tentatively took a small bite, suddenly not having much of an appetite. But as the food touched her tongue, her eyes widened at the delicious taste. She devoured it quickly as her hunger came back almost immediately as she had barely eaten the past few days.

Anakin watched the scene with an amused smile on his face and his eyebrows rose slightly as she proceeded to scrape the plate for every last morsel. When she was finished, she looked up at met his laughing eyes and she smiled shyly as he reached over to take her plate.

After the dishes were washed and everything was put away, Anakin resumed his place across from her, unsure of what to do next. He watched her carefully as she shifted in place, obviously uncomfortable with the silence. He looked down for only a moment and his eyes quickly found hers again when he heard her sigh.

"Ani…I'm sorry, do you still want to be called that? I just realized that you're not really that little boy anymore, are you?"

He shook his head and attempted a grin. "No…no, I'm not. No one's called me that for a few years now."

She nodded; recognizing that he meant no one has called him by his nickname since his mother passed away. She bit her lip before replying: "So I should call you Anakin from now on, huh?"

He shrugged and she took that as a yes. She sighed again, realizing that now was as good a time as any. "Anakin…I know you're probably wondering what I'm doing here…"

She looked back up at him and seeing that she had his full attention, gained a little more courage to tell her story. His eyes told her that he would accept anything she had to say and that was motivation enough.

She took a deep breath and exhaled loudly before uttering: "I was supposed to get married today."

Anakin's reaction was unreadable. His eyes closed for only a moment and when he reopened them, they were a mix of indecipherable emotions. His hands clenched tightly against the counter and she winced when she saw his knuckles turn white.

Unable to meet his eyes any longer, she looked away. Despite the immense pain in her chest, she knew she had to continue her story for there was no going back now.

"Naboo's army has slowly been depleting itself over the past years and the Queen and I made it no secret to the Senate that we needed assistance. We waited and pleaded with the Senate but it was much too long before anyone offered to help."

She paused here and glanced hesitantly at Anakin, whose forehead was contorted in confusion. She nodded in acknowledgment of his understandable bewilderment.

"You wouldn't have heard about any of this on the holonet. It was all a well-kept secret in the Senate, in fact, only a select few actually knew about the marriage proposal."

She paused again and rubbed her now aching temples as Anakin watched her carefully. She had never actually said everything out loud and doing it now had a worse affect on her than she thought it would.

"The proposal," she continued, "came from Anturus. They're a neighboring planet of ours and of course, saw an ideal opportunity in our situation. They knew how desperate we were for help considering Naboo was growing weaker by the day. It still is. They offered an army and in return, they demanded an alliance through marriage. I was the only option, as the Queen had just married due to a similar circumstance, and I was introduced to the man I was to marry within several hours. He was the most prominent member of Anturusian society, not a Senator, but that didn't really matter because he had the best puppeteer skills on the entire planet. It didn't hurt that he was rich either."

She sighed again as she was nearing the part of the story that really stirred her emotions. She took another quick glance at Anakin and saw that his entire focus was centered on her and what she was telling him. But now, his unreadable countenance was bordering on sympathetic and underneath that, she could see anger, though not directed at her, simmering below the surface.

"That man…Anakin…that man was the most…I don't even know how to put it in words. He was thirty years older than me and the way he looked at me…like I was already his possession, like I was just there to please him…it just made me feel…dirty and disgusted with everyone involved especially myself. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how wrong everything about it was. The fact that I could just be sold off that way…I couldn't believe it. I had given everything I could possibly give to my people, to the Senate, up until then…every aspect of my life I had given to them except the one thing I had thought I would never be asked to give. I believe that marriage is sacred, between two people that love each other. I would have given anything they asked of me…except that. I was willing to give my life for them but my soul…my _soul_…that was the one thing I couldn't give. I had to get out…I had no other choice."

Anakin was nodding now, understanding fully why she was standing before him and spoke for the first time during Padme's story. "You did the right thing, Padme."

She bit her lip, grateful for his approval and acceptance, and courageously pushed back the tears that were threatening to form to somehow choke out a thank you. Once she managed to regain hold of her emotions, she continued as now she was at the part that was much easier to tell. "The only people that knew my plan were my handmaiden, Sabe, and my personal physician. After all the assassination attempts I had had on my life, it wasn't hard to fake one more. In fact, we made it look like all the other ones before it, which was very easy. No one was allowed to see my 'body' after Sabe reported it. My physician told them everything they needed to know. Sabe had the unfortunate task of being in the coffin during the funeral procession. After the funeral, my physician broke into the tomb and got Sabe out, which, of course, is why everyone believes that my 'body' was stolen. During the funeral, I boarded a public transport, heavily disguised, and arrived here on Tatooine."

Anakin exhaled loudly at the end of her story and shook his head. "I don't know what to say, Padme. Everything that you've just said is just so…"

"Depressing?" She offered with a faint smile.

He nodded and bit his lip in thought. "What about your family?"

She shifted in her chair, looked down at her hands and responded quietly: "They think I'm dead. Sabe advised them to keep the news of my supposed death secret until the day of the funeral."

Anakin sighed and this time, he reached over and squeezed her hand reassuringly. Her other hand flew to her face and her eyes shut tightly, forcing a few tears to fall.

"Why don't you go lie down for awhile? I know you just woke up but it might help."

She couldn't form a verbal response so she just nodded her head, prompting him to walk around the counter and gently grip her shoulders to help her stand. He led her back into his room and helped her sit down on his bed. Before he could stop himself, his hand brushed a stray tear from her cheek and his heart skipped a beat when she smiled back at him. He quickly turned to leave and was almost out the door when a lingering question halted his exit. He turned back and found her resting against his pillow, her eyes watching him intently.

"Why did you come here…why did you come to Tatooine?"

She never hesitated. "Because I knew I would be safe with you."


	4. Chapter 4

SANCTUARY

Chapter Four

The Lars' homestead rests peacefully in the desert that is Tatooine, several safe miles away from Mos Espa. It is a prosperous moisture farm but is more widely known around the area for the repair shop, known as "Lars' Repairs". The most famous inhabitant on the Lars' homestead is Anakin, of course, who had gained some impressive celebrity in Mos Espa as the only successful human pod racer as well as his gift regarding machinery. It wasn't a rare occurrence that a random passer-by stopped in just to say hello as all three men were known for their respected specialties.

The homestead itself isn't much to look at. It is small and plain, with sand coloring that renders it nearly impossible to notice from a distance. But up close, it is welcoming nonetheless and its inhabitants certainly aid in that matter.

The days had passed easily and carefree; before anyone realized, a week had past since Padme's arrival at the Lars' homestead. This particular day was no different than the rest. The air was slightly cooler than it had previously been which was a relief but one could still feel the relentless heat radiating from the ground, an ever present privation of living in a desert.

Padme hummed softly as she washed the remaining dishes from lunch. It had been her turn to cook and she had been overtly pleased when the three men devoured what she had prepared. She was a beginner and Anakin had been gracious enough to advise her about a few things but she had still been a little uncertain of her cooking when she placed the meal in front of them. But it was consumed within minutes and only reassured her abilities that had never before been utilized.

A lone figure in the distance caught her eye and she glanced at it for only a moment before casting it off as just another fan of the family's. She went back to washing the dishes but at second thought, took another glance at the figure and a happy grin spread across her face when she realized who their soon-to-be visitor was.

She hurriedly left her workstation and sprinted out the door to the shop. When her feet finally carried her to her destination, she burst through the door and found both Anakin and Owen staring at her like she was a mad woman.

"Beru's coming, Owen!" She announced jovially and then promptly ran back out the door to meet her new friend.

The brothers shared an amused glance and shook their heads. Women.

Owen wiped his hands and then hastily followed Padme out the door. Anakin stayed back a few more moments to put away the various tools that Owen had left scattered in his hurry. After everything was cleaned up to his satisfaction, he sauntered out the door and smiled at the scene. Padme and Beru were talking excitedly with one another while Owen stood awkwardly to the side, obviously of no use to either woman.

He smiled again and leaned against the doorframe of the shop as he continued to observe the scene. Padme and Beru had become fast friends and no one was happier about that than him. When he had introduced them the day after Padme arrived, he'd felt uneasy about it simply because he had known they were polar opposites. But apparently he didn't know them as well as he thought they did for Padme and Beru had endless 'female' things in common that he even didn't want to understand. Regardless of that fact, he knew how great the value of a female friend was for Padme and he appreciated that Beru had been as kind and generous as she was. Watching them now, one would have never guessed that they had known each other for less than a week.

Beru had spotted him now and anxiously waved him over so he had no choice but to take his place next to Owen and be ignored. He took his time and once he was there, he and Beru exchanged quick hellos and then she went back to talking to Padme. He listened to their conversation for a few moments in hopes that he could have something to contribute but quickly tuned it out when he realized they were talking about Beru's nonexistent wedding dress.

Owen nudged him in the side and motioned for them to leave with his head. Anakin nodded his understanding immediately and they quietly headed back to the shop, unnoticed by either woman.

"Can you believe her, Anakin? I haven't even proposed and she already has the wedding planned!"

Anakin chuckled. "So when do you plan on proposing?"

Owen glanced back at his girlfriend then back at Anakin. "With her attitude? Never."

Anakin laughed heartily as they reentered the shop. "I don't think Beru's going to like that."

"Yeah well, just you wait. Someday, that girl of yours is going to get the same ideas and then we'll see who's laughing."

The mischievous grin abruptly fell from Anakin's face and he opened his mouth to reply but couldn't form the words. Instead, he grabbed a nearby dirty towel and threw it in Owen's face.

"Hey! I'm just telling the truth. Every man has to face it someday, you know."

Anakin just shook his head for lack of a better response and quickly changed the subject.

"Hey…can I have that wrench over there?"

Owen smiled knowingly and obliged him. "You know, Anakin, whenever Beru and I get around to getting married, I would really like it if you were my best man."

Anakin smiled and quickly nodded. "Of course. I would be honored."

Owen chuckled and put his hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Well, you know this is only on the condition that I get to be your best man when you finally marry Padme."

Owen ducked, just barely missing the wrench that was thrown directly at his head. After he heard the wrench safely clank to the floor, he shot back up. "What was that for? You could've killed me, you lunatic!"

Anakin shrugged. "Well, just be glad I missed then."

Owen shook his head and went back to his work. After a few moments of anger towards Anakin and his temper, he smiled smugly. He had always been careful when talking to Anakin about Padme before but now that she was here, he could tease him all he wanted. It's not like he didn't hear it from Anakin about Beru. He could handle a few wrenches thrown is way if it meant watching Anakin squirm.

* * *

"Anakin, how is your pod coming along? Owen told me you're hoping to get it fixed up before the race."

Anakin grinned at the mention of his pod as he set the plates of food on the table. "Well, I still have a lot of work to do on it, but I've definitely made a lot of improvements so far. I really think it will be ready for the race. I don't know what I'd do if I had to miss it this year."

"Yes, yes…but I really wish you wouldn't race this year. Especially after what happened at the Mos Espa Open…" Cliegg trailed off, almost shuddering at the memory.

Padme leaned forward in her chair, a confused expression on her face. "What do you mean…what happened?"

The table went silent and each person looked at each other, waiting someone to speak. Finally after trembling a little in her chair, Beru took the difficult task of repeating the awful events.

"Something malfunctioned in his pod and…he crashed into another pod…broke his leg in three places…two ribs…he's lucky that he survived. It was a horrible day and we didn't think he was going to make it…"

Padme's gaze moved to Anakin, who was staring at the floor as Beru recounted the events, and she realized what a miracle it was that he was sitting before her. Something or someone must be protecting him because it seemed like he should have died that day.

As the memory lingered in the room, Cliegg excused himself from the table and went to bed which seemed like a good idea to Beru. She also excused herself and Owen quickly rose from the table to walk her home, which left Anakin and Padme alone in a very uncomfortable silence.

Neither knew what to say and so they resigned themselves to cleaning up the kitchen. Padme cleared the table and scraped off the dishes before handing them to Anakin to wash. They cleaned and washed in complete silence, the eerie memory of Anakin's accident still hovering in the air.

Finally, Padme could stand the silence no longer and decided to ask Anakin the question that had been lingering on her mind since her conversation with Beru earlier that day.

"Anakin…I have a favor to ask you."

He turned off the water and turned to face her, once again giving her his full attention.

"You and I both know that Owen and Beru are going to get engaged any day now. I don't know if you heard Beru talking about wedding dresses today but…I'd like to do something nice for her so I want to give her my wedding dress as…an early wedding present, I suppose."

Anakin's brow furrowed in confusion and he leaned forward. "And you need me for…"

Padme sighed. "I can't send for it on my own, Anakin."

He nodded immediately, finally understanding and smiled slightly. "I'd be glad to help."

Her face broke out in a wide grin and she resisted the urge to hug him. "Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me and Beru…"

Anakin couldn't help but smiled back at her happiness with the situation. "So how are we going to go about this?"

"I can connect you to Sabe's private line and as long as you don't mention my name, we should be fine. I'm not quite sure where it is so Sabe will have to do some searching but she's never let me down. And I'm sure she'll be relieved to hear from you too."

Anakin's face again contorted with confusion. "Why is that?"

"Sabe didn't really like the idea of me coming here. And she didn't like the idea of letting my parents think I was dead, either. She thought that it would be easier for everyone if my family and I went somewhere together. But that wouldn't have worked. I had to break all ties and unfortunately, that included my family. And when Sabe talks to you and sees you, I know she'll know that I'm alright and will feel much better about it."

Anakin nodded and they sat in silence for a few moments. He watched her carefully, trying to decide if he should ask her the question that was in his mind. Maybe it was too soon. Maybe she didn't even know the answer herself. Before Anakin could ponder on that any longer, he heard the front door open, signaling that Owen was back.

Owen sauntered into the room and an expression of amusement came over his face when he was who was alone together in the kitchen.

"Well, well, well. What's going on in here?"

Anakin shook his head and was about to reply when he saw Padme shift nervously in the corner of his eye. He frowned as he watched her stare at the floor so she wouldn't make eye contact with Owen. He quickly turned his attention back to Owen and answered hurriedly: "Nothing, Owen, we were just cleaning up the mess you made."

Owen rolled his eyes and turned his gaze to Padme, who was still staring at the floor. He didn't say anything and the three sat in silence for a few unbearable moments.

Unable to stand it any longer, Padme excused herself and walked hastily to Anakin's room, then shut the door immediately.

After she was gone, Owen shrugged and looked at Anakin. "What was that all about?"

Anakin's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I don't know. You tell me."

Owen held his hands up in mock defense. "Whoa…Anakin, I don't know what you're talking about."

Anakin's head cocked to the side and his arms folded across his chest. "Padme was acting very strange towards you. The only thing I can think of is that you said something to her that upset her."

Owen sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Well, that first night she was here I asked her if she was in danger and then…I mentioned that she might have faked her death."

Anakin exhaled deeply and raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Thanks for that, Owen. No wonder she's nervous around you. She probably thinks you're going to turn her in or something."

"Wait a minute…wait a minute. What do you mean 'turn her in'? What did she do and why is she still here then?"

"That doesn't matter. Why did you say that to her?"

"I just wanted to make sure she was alright."

Anakin stared at him and shook his head.

"Alright, fine, Anakin. I don't really trust her. There I said it!"

"Why not, Owen?"

"I'm sorry but I have an awfully hard time trusting someone that you haven't heard from in almost ten years and then turns up on your doorstep asking for help, especially after we had just heard that she was dead. That sounds more than a little suspicious to me."

"What if it's not what you think?"

"Well what is it then?"

Anakin sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he sat down. "Her planet was going to force her into an arranged marriage. She didn't have any other way out."

Owen's head dropped as he sat next to Anakin. "Oh…I never would've guessed that."

"Well maybe if you had just waited for me to talk to her. I didn't want to force her into telling me if she wasn't ready and that's just what you did. You really need to learn to be more patient and more sympathetic too. I don't know how Beru stands you. Padme was scared, she's still scared and you took advantage of that to get what you wanted. By the way, Padme just asked me to send for her wedding dress so she can give it to Beru. Do you trust her now, Owen, or what other hoops are you going to make her jump through so you'll trust her?"

Owen remained silent for a few moments and when he opened his mouth to speak, Anakin shook his head and walked away from him.

He watched Anakin leave, probably heading to the shop, and he considered following Anakin to try to explain. But he realized quickly that Anakin wasn't interested in what he had to say. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. He had been wrong, he knew that now. It seemed he was wrong about a lot of things. He sighed again and headed to his room. He would just have to apologize tomorrow.


	5. Chapter 5

SANCTUARY

Chapter Five

As dawn broke, the Lars household began to rise at the signal that a new day had begun. Cliegg was the first one up, always wanting to get as much work done in the day as possible. Anakin and Owen, however, were another story. He often had to try to wake them up numerous times in the morning with usually negative results. Anakin liked to put his pillow over his head while Owen preferred to simply ignore his father. But things around the Lars household had begun to change.

The first morning that Padme had spent with them was when it had started. She calmly emerged from Anakin's room and promptly woke Anakin, who had slept on the couch. He had put up a fight at first but when he realized who was trying to wake him up, he quickly relented and started preparing for the day. Still unsatisfied, Padme knocked lightly on Owen's door and when all she received was a muffled 'leave me alone, Dad', she replied that it wasn't Cliegg but Padme and he needed to get up. Within a matter of seconds, Owen was dressed and out of his room. Cliegg still wasn't sure what the exact reason for this change was. He guessed that Anakin was merely trying to impress her and that Owen just didn't want to upset her but he still wasn't completely sure. The change in his boys was remarkable and in that respect, he didn't care what the reason for it was as long as it became a permanent stable in their characters.

Cliegg chuckled to himself when he heard Padme open the door. He watched with a smile as she went from one son to the other and shook his head as each one quickly awoke at Padme's prompting.

"Marvelous work, Padme." He said with laughter in his eyes as Padme sat next to him at the table.

"Why, thank you, Cliegg." She smiled back as he poured her some coffee.

Within minutes, Anakin and Owen were seated at the table, eagerly awaited the breakfast that Cliegg had prepared. They hungrily shoveled it into their mouths, barely tasting it as Cliegg and Padme watched who had suddenly lost their appetite.

Cliegg watched the interactions around the table curiously as Padme and Owen refused to make eye contact with each other and realized that Anakin was angrily watching this non-exchange as well. Deciding it was better to not bring it up, Cliegg rose to clean everything up.

"Well, what's on the agenda today?"

Anakin looked up and replied: "I need to go into Mos Espa today to get that part I ordered."

The flicker of relief and happiness in Padme's eyes did not go unnoticed around the table before it disappeared. Cliegg's attention switched from Padme to Owen. "And you, Owen?"

"Oh…I was planning to work on some droids today. Beru will be by later to sort out the books."

Cliegg nodded with satisfaction before heading out to the fields, leaving Anakin, Owen, and Padme in a very awkward silence. Owen looked cautiously from Anakin to Padme and after meeting Anakin's stern gaze, quickly excused himself from the table.

Anakin watched Owen's escape and shook his head in both disappointment and anger. It was just like Owen to do that. He seemed to get out of anything, run away from everything, and he was never really punished for it, especially when it dealing with their repair shop. It seemed like all responsibility always fell to Anakin with any important decision or problem. What Anakin really couldn't comprehend was Owen's attitude toward Beru. Beru was a great girl; she loved Owen, was willing to put up with him, accept all his flaws, and more importantly, wanted to marry him. Owen couldn't ask for a better girl. What was keeping him from proposing to her? Why couldn't he accept some responsibility for a change?

Anakin's attention shifted to Padme as she rose from the table to take their dishes to the sink.

"I'm sorry about him, Padme." He offered gently.

She turned back him, leaned against the counter, and shrugged. "It's alright."

He shook his head fervently. "No, it's not. He told me what you said to him and…"

"I know, Anakin."

He frowned and bit his lip. "How did you…"

"You and Owen were talking pretty loudly last night…" She laughed.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry you heard that, Padme."

"You don't have to be sorry. No one's ever stood up for me like that. Thank you."

She was smiling and leaning a little forward now, looking up at him. His heart fluttered briefly and he could feel heat creeping into his cheeks. He quickly looked away and cleared his throat, but still couldn't think of how to respond to that.

After a few moments of slightly awkward silence, Padme bit her lip and took a few steps closer to him. "So…when are you leaving for Mos Espa?"

His eyes immediately flew to hers, grateful for the change of subject. "Within an hour or so."

She nodded carefully, her eyes never leaving his. "Would you mind if I came along?"

Anakin ran a hand through his hair and sighed. When his gaze returned to her, he was met with hopefully expectant brown eyes. "Padme…Mos Espa isn't a nice place to be. I don't even go there unless I absolutely have to."

She frowned and rested her hands defiantly on her hips. "What are you saying?"

He exhaled loudly and looked away for a brief moment. "It's not safe for you there, Padme. The people in Mos Espa are not the kind of people you're used to. It's just a haven for smugglers, gamblers, drunks, and slave-owners. That doesn't sound very appealing, does it?"

Her eyebrows lifted slightly and her arms crossed over her chest. "The first day I was here, I wandered around Mos Espa for hours trying to find you and nothing happened."

"You're lucky nothing did because it easily could have. Look, I'm not saying that you can't handle it because you and I both know you can. I just don't want to take the chance."

Her eyes softened and she relaxed a little. "I know, Anakin. But I guess I just need to get out for a while. Don't take this the wrong way but it feels like I've been inside for the entire week and it would just be nice go somewhere, even if it really is like you said."

"Padme, I just don't…"

"Please, Anakin. I'll be good, I promise."

He chuckled at that and rolled his eyes. Looking at her again, with her soulful, pleading eyes, he knew he wouldn't be able to refuse her. He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"Alright, alright. You can tag along I suppose."

She laughed and a wide grin spread across her face. She closed the space between them and embraced him quickly, which caught Anakin extremely off-guard. Once the shock of his current position wore off, his arms tentatively closed around her tiny back. He breathed in slowly and almost cried out when she pulled away.

She smiled up at him softly. "Let me know when you're ready to leave."

He nodded quickly and immediately left to get the speeder ready; knowing that if he stayed any longer he might do or say something he would be kicking himself for later.

Padme watched him leave with a soft smile on her face. As his tall frame went off into the distance, it finally hit her that he wasn't a little boy anymore. He was a man. And he was a man that would protect her. She sighed and shook her head. She wished that she could stay on Tatooine forever but she knew that eventually she would have to leave them. She wasn't used to being around a family so much, especially a family of men. She had rarely seen her own and now that she had lied to them, they would never accept her back into their lives again.

She sat down on a nearby chair and buried her head in her hands. She had let everyone down. They had all been counting on her to do the right thing, to sacrifice what little personal life she had for the good of her people. Maybe she would have been able to do it if the man they had promised her to hadn't been such a vomit-inducing old man. She sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly. She knew that deep down, even if the man had been the kindest, most handsome man in the galaxy, she probably still would have done the same thing. She had run from everything like a coward, leaving her people still unprotected, and letting her family believe she had been murdered.

Tears began to fall mercilessly down her cheeks as everything she had done finally sunk in. She furiously wiped them away, berating herself for crying. She never cried. She was stronger than this.

She heard the door open and quickly wiped the remaining tears away, not wanting Anakin or Cliegg to see her like that. Her eyes widened in shock when she realized that it was Owen who had entered the room and was now staring at her with equally wide eyes.

"Oh…I'm sorry, Padme…" He trailed off and bit his lip before starting to head to his room.

"Owen…"

He stopped in his tracks and awkwardly turned back to Padme's tear-stained face.

"Owen…what do you think of me?"

He opened his mouth to answer but quickly shut it. He didn't know how to answer her without making her even more upset. He definitely wasn't good with these things.

"I…uh…I don't know what you mean."

"Do you think I'm a failure?"

He frowned at this and bit his lip again as he tentatively took a few steps back into the kitchen. He waited for her to say something…anything…but when she didn't, he carefully sat down next to her, not knowing what else to do. He helplessly looked out the window for Anakin, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Owen, I know you don't trust me. I heard you and Anakin talking last night. He told you why I was here but what he didn't tell you was that my people needed me to get married. They needed that alliance for protection and I…I was too selfish to put their needs ahead of my own. All I saw was that horrible man I was supposed to marry and all I thought of was that I'd probably have to kill myself after we were married. I didn't think of what would happen to Naboo if I didn't marry him."

She inhaled shakily and closed her eyes before continuing. "I've let everyone down. My people, the Senate, the Queen…my parents. Everyone…they all think I'm dead. What if there's an attack on Naboo now? They won't have anyone to defend them. Millions of people will be killed…and it will all be my fault!"

Tears began to fall again and her shoulders began shaking uncontrollably. Owen watched her carefully, still unsure of what he was supposed to do and tentatively rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him in surprise and wiped her eyes.

"Padme…you can't think like this. You're going to make yourself crazy. Look, you've given up your whole life for those people, for the Senate, for the Queen, even I know that. And at the end of the day, you did what was best for yourself."

She sighed and looked up at him carefully. "But do you think I'm a failure?"

"No."

She bit her lip as new tears formed in her eyes and she laughed a little. "You don't?"

He smiled and couldn't help but laugh a little bit himself. "No, Padme, I don't. You shouldn't blame yourself for putting yourself first for once. Besides, no one should have to do something they don't want to do."

She smiled brightly and laughed. "Is that why you haven't proposed to Beru yet?"

He frowned at this change of subject but when he actually thought about it, he found himself nodding his head. "You know, it's not that I don't want to marry her. I suppose I'm just not ready yet."

She smiled with new understanding and nodded. "I don't know if Anakin told you but I was planning on sending for my wedding dress to give to Beru in a few days. But now, I think I'll wait."

He smiled back at her and laughed. "That's a good idea. Then there won't be any added pressure on me."

They laughed good-naturedly together, glad to be able to put the past behind them.

"You know," Owen said. "I really misjudged you."

"That's alright. I know you were just protecting Anakin. I understand that."

There were a few passing moments of silence behind them then before Padme spoke again.

"Thank you for listening to me and making me feel better. I'm not normally a mess like this, I swear. Everything just finally caught up with me and I just felt like…well, I guess you already know that, don't you?"

He smiled back at her and laughed again. "Well, I know a whole lot now than I did before, don't I?"

She nodded but before she could speak again, saw a figure walking back towards the house. "Anakin's coming back."

Owen stood up and seeing she was right, knew that it was time to take his leave. She smiled up at him in a silent thank-you.

She rose from the table and moved towards the door to meet Anakin when Owen's voice stopped her.

"Padme…I know you said that you let everyone down…and I just thought you should know that you've never let Anakin down and to be honest, I don't think you ever will."

She smiled softly, recognizing the truth in his words and watched as Owen turned back and closed his door softly. Her eyes moved back to Anakin, who now had the speeder parked right in front of the house. Her eyes sparkled as she watched him check everything over, probably to make sure she would be safe in it. When he was satisfied, he looked up and met her gaze. He grinned brightly when he saw that she had been watching him and waved to her. She smiled back and without further hesitation, opened the door to meet him.


	6. Chapter 6

SANCTUARY

Chapter Six

Anakin parked the speeder as close as possible to Watto's shop, but found it considerably difficult given that Mos Espa was especially busy that morning. Anakin swallowed nervously and quickly surveyed the occupants of the street. He grimaced, suddenly regretting his decision to let Padme come with him. His eyes quickly found Padme and he could only shake his head at her naivety. Her eyes widened with almost child-like curiosity as the speeders and people past by. She looked up at him, expectantly waiting for him to make the first move onto the street.

He shook his head again and leaned down to her to whisper: "Don't say I didn't warn you."

She smirked playfully back at him and shrugged. "It doesn't look that bad."

His eyebrows rose slightly and he smiled knowingly. Apparently, she hadn't seen the real Mos Espa. The day she had arrived must have been a fluke because he had heard horror stories about women being kidnapped, sold as slaves or worse, and never heard from again. It was more than a miracle that she had made it out of there safely. He looked down and felt his face redden when he met Padme's confused and impatient eyes.

"Alright, we're going to have to cross. Just stay close and follow me."

Padme nodded and he took the determination in that action as a sign to proceed. He looked from side to side, waiting for the precise moment to cross. Unfortunately, today was busier than usual, which was extremely busy, and crossing the street was going to prove to be a harrowing task. After several minutes of waiting, Anakin's face lit up at the opportune moment. He excitedly grabbed Padme's arm and pulling her after him, hurried across the street. They were only beeped at a few times, which was pretty good in Anakin's estimation.

Once they were safely across with all limbs intact, Anakin quickly pulled her all the way over to the side. She looked at him questioningly and when she didn't receive an explanation from him, simply shrugged and followed Anakin, who was between her and the street and also a few paces ahead of her. As they continued down the side of the street, Padme, having been pushed so close to the shops by Anakin, actually hit her shoulder against them a few times.

"Ow! Anakin!"

Anakin slowed for only a moment to raise an eyebrow in her direction. When he saw it was only a minor scrape, continued on his way despite Padme's glares of annoyance. Just before she was about to cry out again in pain, Anakin halted and turned into a shop. She breathed a sigh of relief and gratefully followed him in, suddenly feeling a little regret that she insisted on coming along.

She followed Anakin to the counter of the shop, feeling a slight pang of déjà vu. The appearance of the shop seemed reminiscent of a long-forgotten dream. The walls, counter, even the parts in the shop seemed to scream at her and she suddenly half-expected a small blonde boy to walk out from the backroom.

Her eyes began to widen in recognition and she frantically looked at Anakin, whose eyes were plastered to the dust floor. Her mouth opened slowly, as if she was stalling so she could think of something comforting to say but then the small, insect-like creature flew in from the backroom, confirming all her suspicions.

"Ani! It's good to see you again!" Watto cried cheerfully.

Anakin mustered a faint smile and immediately set to the matter at hand. "I'm here for the part you ordered for me."

"Ah, yes, yes. It's here." He excused himself for a moment, turning to the backroom where he yelled for Anakin's order, then turned back with a semi-sincere smile on his face.

"And who is this lovely lady with you? You know, you look awfully familiar…have you been in my shop before?"

Padme was about to answer when Anakin quickly cut in. "She's Owen's cousin…from Andara."

Watto nodded slowly, trying to remember where Andara was. "Oh yes…Andara. That must have been a pretty long journey for you, then?"

Padme nodded quickly, immediately chastising herself for forgetting to put her hood up.

When Padme failed to provide him with anything else, Watto shrugged and turned to the backroom to check on Anakin's order. He muttered something under his breath about how slow this one was and when he looked back at Anakin, quickly smiled to ease Anakin's intense, angry stare. An awkward silence penetrated the room and Watto found himself shifting around tensely under Anakin's concentrated glare.

When the small slave boy emerged from the backroom with Anakin's order, Watto sighed with relief shakily and quickly handed it to Anakin.

"There you are," he chuckled nervously. "It was nice doing business with you, Ani. If you ever need any more parts, don't hesitate to check with me."

Anakin nodded carefully, measuring Watto to determine the sincerity of his offer. He smiled uncertainly after several uncomfortable moments and quickly motioned with his head to Padme that they should leave. She smiled quickly at Watto and followed Anakin out the door.

Once they were safely outside, Anakin leaned against a nearby wall and sighed deeply. Padme leaned next to him and turned her head to face him, with concern in her eyes.

"Anakin…I'm sorry you had to do that."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "It doesn't matter. It's been almost ten years…why should I hold a grudge? I know Mom wouldn't like that…"

As he trailed off, he sucked in air deeply, to push down the pain that omission brought to the surface.

Padme placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and smiled gently. "I know, Anakin. You don't have to talk about it anymore if you don't want to."

He nodded gratefully, slightly ashamed with himself for showing weakness in front of her like that. He started to move in the direction of his speeder but stopped when Padme didn't follow him.

"Are you hungry, Anakin?"

He blinked and shook his head. "Where did that come from?"

She chuckled good-naturedly. "Well, we probably missed dinner already, knowing Owen. And I'm getting hungry. Isn't there a restaurant somewhere where we can get some food?"

His eyebrows raised and he sighed. "Restaurant? You won't find anything refined like that around here. You don't want to eat here, Padme. We'd be better off just going home and making food there."

She frowned and moved a little closer to him. "What difference does it make? We're already here…we might as well eat here and then go home. Besides, I don't know if I can make it that long, Anakin. I'm pretty hungry."

He rolled his eyes and sighed tiredly. He really didn't feel like arguing with her. Besides, given their previous arguments, he figured he didn't stand a chance against a Senator.

"Alright, alright, alright." He started looking around; trying to decide which cantina would be the safest for Padme. He sighed again, realizing that she probably wouldn't be safe anywhere he took her in Mos Espa. Nevertheless, he decided on one nearby, remembering that he and Owen had ate there after a race and that it was surprisingly mellow there.

He motioned for Padme to follow him and shook his head at the wide grin of happiness that spread across her face. They walked briskly down the street and reached the cantina within a matter of minutes. Before they walked in, Padme quickly pulled her hood up and grinned at Anakin. He exhaled loudly and found himself grabbing her arm and pulling her closely along after him.

Padme's curious eyes roamed around the room as Anakin led her to a table, remembering quickly to hide the fact that it was very unusual for someone like her to be in a place like this. But she couldn't help it. She had never been anywhere like this in her life and the thrill of being somewhere new heightened as the music grew louder in her ears. There were a few lounge singers off to the side and her eyes widened with further curiosity as she surveyed the interesting looking creatures dancing near the singers. They walked past the bar and she could feel Anakin tense as several of the patrons cast glances in their direction. She couldn't understand why he was so nervous today. Mos Espa just seemed like a less-advanced Coruscant to her.

They reached a booth and Anakin quickly slid in. Padme followed slowly, still taking in her awe-inspiring surroundings.

"Padme, sit down." He muttered.

She snapped out of it and quickly sat across from him, an embarrassed expression crossing her face. Her gaze returned to the people around her and she continued to watch them as if they were some mystical creatures that had never before been seen.

The waiter approached their table, asking for their order, and since Padme was off in la-la land, Anakin just ordered for her. When the waiter left them, his brow furrowed in confusion when he realized what she was looking at.

"Padme?"

"Yes?" She answered, almost hypnotically.

"Snap out of it."

A shocked expression appeared on her face and she gaped openly at him. "What?"

"Stop looking at those people. I know you don't mean anything by it, but you're going to cause trouble."

She nodded apologetically. "I'm sorry. This is just so exciting! I've never been anywhere before like this in my life! Isn't this exciting, Anakin?"

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Padme, you have no idea what you're talking about."

She was about to answer, but the waiter appeared with their food and drinks. Anakin quickly took it and started eating as fast as he could. He only stopped when he noticed the disgusted expression on Padme's face.

"Sorry…I just want to get out of here, alright? Eat your food."

She sighed and started to eat her food, sorry that her excursion was ending.

They finished their food, quickly paid the waiter, and started to leave. Anakin immediately grabbed her arm again, pulling her quickly after him as his tense desire to get out of there intensified. They were almost there, he could see the exit several feet in front of him, when a scruffy-looking patron stepped in their way.

"Excuse me, sir. But we're just trying to leave."

"I can see that. But I'd like to talk business with you, if you don't mind."

Anakin quickly shook his head. "No, I'm not interested. Sorry."

Anakin tried to move around the man, but he just moved to block their exit again.

"Your slave…how much for her?"

Anakin's face tensed as his grip on Padme's arm tightened. "She's not a slave and she's definitely not for sale. Can we pass, please?"

"Aw…come on. I'm sure we can work out a price."

Anakin shook his head furiously and pushed Padme behind him so the man could no longer see her. "No."

The man's arms came across his chest, a stern and angry expression appearing on his face. "Now, there's no need to get all protective. How about this? I borrow her for an hour or so, pay you a good price, and give her back to you in one piece. It won't take long…"

Now the other patrons in the bar had could wind of the situation and had started circling the same group, eager to see a fight. Anakin tensed, his face twisting in rage. He felt something building inside of him, something intense and ferocious. As the man tried to move around him to get a better look at Padme, Anakin snapped.

He let go of Padme and leaned back, just about to the hit man. But he watched with amazement as Padme stepped in front of him, pushed up her sleeve, and punched the man square in the jaw!

Loud cheers erupted from the cantina as the man staggered back, holding his jaw in disbelief.

"Forget you!" He muttered painfully and sprinted out the door. Several people followed him out, jeering at him for getting slugged by a woman, a dainty one no less!

Anakin was frozen to the ground and couldn't do anything but stare at Padme in complete shock. He watched her shake her wrist from the pain of the impact of her punch and suddenly, he started laughing uncontrollably.

An amused grin spread across her face, quickly replacing the expression of pain. She chuckled at the entire situation, laughing even harder as several people came up to her to shake her hand and pat her on the shoulder in congratulations.

She looked up at Anakin and motioned towards the door. "You wanted to leave?"

He smiled cheerfully and nodded. "After you, milady!"

She laughed and led them out the door to their speeder.

* * *

Cliegg, Owen, and Beru were sitting calmly in the living room, watching the holonet, when Anakin and Padme burst through the front door, laughing hysterically.

Padme was laughing so hard she started to fall over and had to lean against Anakin to keep her balance. His arm came around her shoulders to steady himself, causing him to burst into another fit of laughter. They stopped laughing for only a second when they realized that they were being looked at like they were crazy, but that only caused them to laugh even harder.

"Alright, what happened?" Owen asked slowly, not completely sure he wanted to know.

Padme started to answer when Anakin interrupted in between laughs. "Padme hit a guy!"

They started laughing even harder as Cliegg, Owen, and Beru's mouths gaped open in both shock and surprise.

"What?"

Anakin nodded. "Yeah! She punched him right in the face!"

"Padme did what?"

This only caused both Anakin and Padme to burst out laughing yet again. Owen shook his head.

"Why don't you just…ah…calm down and tell us later?"

The only thing Anakin and Padme could do was nod, before laughing again. Anakin pushed her back out the door and they disappeared again within seconds, leaving Cliegg, Owen, and Beru to stare at each other in confusion.

"What was that all about?" Beru asked.

"Kids." Cliegg muttered as he shook his head.


	7. Chapter 7

SANCTUARY

Chapter Seven

It had been an entire week since Anakin and Padme's trip to Mos Espa. Once the rest of the family had learned exactly what had happened, they finally understood what had been so incomprehensibly funny when Anakin and Padme burst through the door. The running joke throughout the household, which now seemed a little old, was to call Padme 'The Enforcer' and Owen never failed to inform any visitor of this now well-known fact.

The day began like any other, with Padme waking the boys as usual, and the family sitting around the table, the aroma of coffee and eggs filling the air. Cliegg and Anakin talked excitedly about the latest improvement Anakin had made to his pod while Padme could only shake her head since she had no idea what they were talking about. Owen, however, was unusually calm, almost serenely calm. Padme cocked a questioning eyebrow his way and he just silently shook his head. She was about to address him but abruptly halted as Anakin's voice began to rise.

"I'm telling you, Cliegg, it's going to be ready for the race. It has to be."

Cliegg sighed with exasperation and set his fork down. "Anakin, I know how badly you want to race. But the Open is only in three days and it still isn't up to standards. If it's not safe for racing…"

"I'm not pulling out," Anakin interrupted. "I'm not a quitter. You know that better than anyone."

Suddenly, the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees. Padme and Owen shifted nervously in their chairs as the face-off between Anakin and Cliegg continued.

"Anakin, I will not see you hurt yourself again. You could've died, Anakin. If you had a pod that was safe, I wouldn't hesitate to let you race. But I just can't allow you to do it if your pod isn't ready."

Anakin's fists clenched tightly underneath the table and he fought the urge to slam into the bottom of the table. He stood up shakily and threw his napkin on his chair with an annoyed force.

"You know what? I don't what to fight with you anymore about this. I have better things to do like work on my pod."

With that, Anakin stormed out of the room and stalked outside, the door slamming angrily behind him. Cliegg sighed heavily, pushed his chair back, and cleared his and Anakin's places at the table.

Padme stared at Owen for a second, contemplating what she should do. Owen motioned in the direction Anakin had headed with his head and that was all the persuasion Padme needed. She quickly excused herself and ran out the door in search of Anakin.

Owen watched her go and bit his lip. Maybe sending her out to talk to Anakin hadn't been such a good idea. He was going to need all the help he could get.

* * *

"Anakin! Anakin…wait!"

He paused for a moment, not sure if he wanted to talk to anyone, even if it was her. But before he could stop himself, he turned to face her. She had almost caught up to him and stopped a few feet in front of him, panting breathlessly. His arms crossed angrily across his chest and he exhaled loudly.

She sighed knowing instinctively that his anger wasn't directly at her but at some unseen force that was determined to keep him from racing. In her opinion, she would have preferred that he never raced at all, but knew that wouldn't help anything. She would just have to support him in whatever happened, whether she was pleased with it or not.

He watched her expectantly, growing extremely impatient as she continued to stare up at him, lost in thought. "Well?"

Padme shook her head as if to shake out the thoughts that had just crossed into her mind. She looked back up at him and smiled nervously. "Are you alright?"

He laughed sarcastically and grinned. "What do you think?"

She bit her lip and absentmindedly brought her hands to her hair. "Sorry. I just wanted to make sure you were ok. I didn't mean to patronize you."

He sighed and his arms dropped to his sides. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

She smiled and rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Now, do you think you can get your pod ready in time?"

"I don't know. I'll have to work on it for three days straight. But it's been starting consistently for almost a week now."

She laughed softly and squeezed his shoulder. "So there's hope then. Is there anything I can do to help?"

He sighed and regrettably shook his head. "I wish there was. But I have a feeling you've never had any experience as a mechanic."

She smiled good-naturedly and laughed again. "You're right. Well…get to work then. Even if you can't fix it now, there'll be other races, Anakin."

"I know but the Classic is the biggest race of the year. I would've won last year too if that stupid, arrogant little monster hadn't cut into my engine."

Padme laughed nervously, unsure if she should be relieved or very worried now. She didn't know how she was supposed to respond to that and was slightly relieved when Owen came up to them.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have a favor to ask you, Padme."

Anakin nodded and waved goodbye before taking off to the shop. He definitely had work to do.

Padme watched him leave, a little disappointed that she wouldn't see him much for the next couple of days. She turned back to Owen, who had been observing her carefully.

"I saw that look."

Her mouth opened in surprise and it took her a few moments to respond. "I don't know what you're talking about, Owen."

He smiled knowingly and just shook his head. "Anyways, I'm going to need your help. We have to hurry…we're going to run out of time pretty soon."

Padme's brows furrowed in confusion as she looked up at him. She smiled a moment later, suddenly realizing what his plans were.

"Owen, I would be honored to help you." She said happily.

He smiled back at her gratefully. "Good, let's go then."

* * *

"Owen, why is it so dark in here? Did the power go out or something?"

"No, no…just keep walking."

He led her over to the table, carefully pulled a chair out for her, and helped her sit down. She looked up at him in surprise and he wanted to slap himself. He was going to give himself away by doing things like that. He was never romantic and now he was starting to regret it.

He quickly walked to the other side of the table and shakily lit the candles Padme had set out. Beru was watching him carefully, looking at him like he was starting to go insane and that made his hands shake even more. He ran a hand nervously through his hair and sat down across from her.

"What is all this about, Owen? Where is everyone else?"

He cleared his throat and nervously played with his napkin. "Padme…uh…she wanted to go to some place in Mos Espa so Anakin and Dad went with her. I didn't think you'd want to go so I thought we could just eat here."

She nodded, suspicion slowly creeping into her eyes. "Where did they go, Owen?"

He opened his mouth to reply but clamped it shut immediately. What had Padme told him to say? Why was he messing this up for Beru? "I…I…honestly, don't remember where they were going. You'll have to ask them when they get back."

Beru bit her lip to hide her smile and quickly put her napkin in her lap. They stared awkwardly at each other for a few moments before Owen hastily stood up. He took their plates over to the counter and scooped some steamed vegetables and broiled meat onto it.

Beru's eyes widened in shock as he set the food in front her. Since when did Owen cook for her? Had he gone insane? She tentatively took a bite and her eyes got even larger at the taste. It was actually good, delicious even. Owen watched her eat with growing fervor and almost told her to slow down. The faster she ate, the less time he had to prepare himself.

Before Owen knew it, Beru had scraped her plate and was looking at him expectantly. He blinked several times and took a deep breath. He fumbled around his pockets and his eyes widened when he couldn't find it. Panic started to rise up in his throat and he frantically searched through his pockets.

"Owen?"

He froze and hesitantly looked up at Beru. His mouth dropped open when he realized what she was holding.

"Is this what you're looking for?"

His lips trembled and he nodded slowly.

"Is it alright if I put it on?"

He swallowed nervously, silently berating himself for screwing up. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. He slowly nodded and watched helplessly as she slipped the ring on her finger.

"Beru…I…"

She smiled softly and held her hand up to further inspect the ring. "It fell out of your pocket when you got up to get the food. I picked it up when you weren't looking."

He stammered incomprehensibly and fought the urge to beat his head into the table. "I'm sorry Beru. I wanted everything to be perfect. I even got Padme to help me to make sure everything would be how you would want it to be. And I messed it all up! I'm such an idiot!"

Beru just smiled and carefully stood up. She walked over to where Owen sat, with his head in his hands, and kneeled down to him. She reached out and gripped his arm tightly, forcing him to face her.

"Owen, it's alright. I love you. You love me. That's all that matters. So what if your proposal didn't go the way you wanted it to?"

Owen shook his head and rubbed his temple wearily. "That's the thing, Beru. I didn't even propose to you yet."

She laughed good-naturedly and embraced him warmly. "So ask me."

His lips slowly curved upward and he chuckled. "What my lady wants, my lady gets."

He moved out of his chair and brought himself to his knees, facing her. He took her left hand and kissed it tenderly. His fingers gently played with the ring on her finger, observing that it looked just as he had imagined it would on her hand. It was perfect. And Beru was right. They loved each other. As long as he got to the point, that was all that mattered at that moment.

"Beru, will you marry me?" He whispered into her ear.

Her smile seemed to reach her ears and she nodded happily, hugging him tightly to her.

"Yes, yes, of course."

* * *

Anakin opened the front door slowly, stuck his head in, and motioned for the others to follow. It was dark, the candles had melted down to the quick and Owen and Beru were no where in sight.

"They must have left to tell her parents." Anakin said as he walked inside in the kitchen.

Padme and Cliegg followed him and carefully inspected the table.

"Hmmm, it looks like the food went over well. I just hope everything else did too." Padme offered, trying to hide her smile. She had barely been able to contain herself during dinner and being back in the house only increased her anxiousness to find out how everything had gone for her friends.

Anakin smiled and his eyebrows raised slightly as his gaze found a turned over plate on the floor. "That's strange."

"What is?" Padme asked as she walked over to where Anakin stood. Her eyes widened when she found what Anakin had referred to. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cliegg sit down on the sofa, turn on the holonet, and she sighed with relief.

Both jumped slightly at the sudden bump against wall closest to them. Their eyes met, confusion etched in their faces. Anakin took a step closer to the wall so his ear could rest against it. His eyes widened when he heard another bump and immediately withdrew his ear.

"What was that?" Padme whispered. She walked up next to him to listen more closely but quickly stepped back when her hand brushed against his. She looked up at him hesitantly but his attention was still focused on the noises coming from Owen's room. She exhaled with relief. He hadn't noticed.

Anakin's curiosity was getting the best of him and he decided to investigate further. He walked around the corner with Padme close on his heels. They cautiously walked up to the door and Anakin's hand rested on the doorknob for a few moments.

Just as he started to open it, Padme warned: "Anakin, I don't think this is such a good…"

But the warning came too late as Anakin opened the door, revealing the shocked and embarrassed faces of Owen and Beru. Beru quickly pulled the blankets over her as Owen and Anakin continued to stare at each other in complete shock.

"Anakin…Anakin…GET OUT OF HERE!" Owen shouted angrily.

Anakin's shock quickly wore off at that and his lips curved into an amused smile as he saw Cliegg jump up. Cliegg was at their sides within moments and his face reddened at what he saw.

"What…what's going on here…never mind. Just put your clothes back on and take Beru home. We'll talk about this later." Cliegg said as he fought the urge to cover his eyes. He quickly shut the door and stalked back to the couch before throwing himself on it.

A few moments later, Owen and Beru emerged from his room, looking very guilty. Anakin couldn't contain himself any longer at the scene and started laughing uncontrollably, until Padme elbowed him hard in the side.

"Ow!" He exclaimed.

"You deserved it!" Owen shouted as he escorted Beru out of the house.

Anakin held it in only until he heard the door shut then he doubled over, holding his sides from the wild laughter that escaped. He glanced at Cliegg who had been watching the entire scene with an incredibly stern expression on his face.

As their eyes met, Cliegg burst out laughing, barely able to stop laughing long enough to say: "That must have been one hell of a proposal!"


	8. Chapter 8

SANCTUARY

Chapter Eight

Anakin breathed in deeply, filling his lungs with the distinct scent of Tatooine, sand, and most importantly, engines. The sun was shining brightly, the stands were filled with spectators, and his pod was finally ready. It was a good day for a race and he felt something surge through his veins. He always experienced an added boost of power in him right before a race. It was more than adrenaline and it certainly wasn't luck. He was going to win; he was sure of it, if his pod could survive that is.

He walked around to the other side of his pod to finish his last minute checks. He looked up and was greeted by Cliegg, Owen, Beru, and a very worried Padme. He nodded towards them and smiled.

"Hey guys. I didn't I'd see you until after the race."

"Well, we wanted to wish you luck before finding our seats." Cliegg smiled, removing his hat to wipe the sweat from his brow.

Anakin grinned back at him and leaned against his pod. Owen joined him and wrapped his arm around Anakin's shoulders.

"Good luck, brother. Don't get yourself killed, alright?"

Anakin laughed good-naturedly and nodded. "Don't worry about me. My baby and I…were going to be just fine."

Owen rolled his eyes and was about to reply before making eye contact with Beru. He quickly decided it would be better to let Anakin have his moment than feel the wrath of Beru. Besides, it was only a matter of time before Anakin got his comeuppance for walking in on him and Beru. She still hadn't fully recovered from the embarrassment and as for Owen, he just wanted revenge.

The final call for all the racers sounded over the speakers and Anakin's well-wishers took that as the signal to leave. Cliegg, Owen, and Beru quickly said goodbye, leaving a still silent Padme standing in front of Anakin.

He smiled hesitantly, unsure of what to say to her. He knew how she felt about him racing and for a moment, had a brief flashback of his mother walking towards him, telling him to be careful.

He was thrown back into reality when he felt a rush of air as Padme closed the distance between them. She embraced him tightly, almost fearfully, as she whispered quickly into his ear: "Please be careful."

As she reluctantly released, he nodded slowly. He didn't know what else to do. She was the one person in the universe that mattered most to him and he wasn't about to let her down in any way.

She smiled bravely and quickly disappeared into the crowd. His eyes strained as he tried to follow her form in the crowd. He bit his lip as he lost sight of her and turned his attention back to preparing for the race.

Anakin's hands gripped the wheel in tense concentration as the engines revved their readiness. He looked briefly into the stands for his family, knowing he wouldn't see them but needing to see them all the same. For a moment, his confidence in himself faltered and he knew that even the slightest eye contact with Padme would rejuvenate his morale. In that instant, he found her. Her eyes were shut tightly and as he strained to see her more clearly, he noticed that her lips were moving. She was praying for him. That was all he needed.

He took a deep breath and smiled to himself. Now he was ready. His hands gripped the wheel a little tighter and he exhaled loudly. He closed his eyes as the official gave his last instructions. That strange feeling was flowing through him again and the tension in him subsided. He felt relaxed, calm, and ready to win.

Within seconds, the flag went down and the race had begun. Anakin quickly maneuvered to the front of the pack, keeping a careful eye on the actions of the other racers behind him. His pod went around the first turn smoothly, surprisingly more smoothly than he remembered. Just as his confidence had kicked into full gear, another pod whizzed out in front of him. Anakin gritted his teeth with determination and pushed the accelerator down a little harder, trying to ignore the warning going off in his brain that he shouldn't push his pod too hard.

Much to Anakin's dismay, a second racer slid out in front of him. He pushed down on the accelerator a little more now, not caring anymore about his pod. He wanted to win. He hadn't spent all that time and credits on his pod just to finish third. Adrenaline pushed him further and he had tuned out the roar of the crowd long ago. He had to win. He didn't know how to lose.

The next turn was in sight and Anakin pushed down on the accelerator as hard as he could. He was steadily gaining on the two racers ahead of him and this made him drive his pod a little more harder. He was almost there, victory was right there.

As the next turn approached, his determination only intensified. The roar of the crowd came back to him as his adrenaline pushed him further. It was moments like that, the feeling of impending victory, that he lived for. This was why he loved racing. There was no other feeling like it in the world. It was different than what he felt for Padme. This feeling was power. He was in control during a race and he felt it now.

He had almost caught up to the two leaders and sped up a little more. He was almost there and the next turn was now in sight. His pod began to sputter and the wheel began to shake violently. Fear crept down his spine and he quickly let up on the accelerator, hoping that would solve the problem. It worked for a moment and Anakin took that as a sign to once again push down on the accelerator.

Unfortunately, the wheel began to shake even more violently than before. His pod swerved to the side and he couldn't get control. Suddenly, smoke began to emerge from the engine just as the red warning light began to flash anxiously.

His breathing quickened as beats of sweat dripped down his forehead. The pod was spinning out of control now and there was nothing he could do but wait to crash and hope it wasn't into another pod. Smoke began to fill the entire pod as it swerved and spun wildly around.

It crashed with an intense force into the concrete border around the track. It crunched into the wall, crushing Anakin's leg on impact. His head slammed into the wheel and everything went black.

* * *

Consciousness slowly crept back into his body and he winced as the pain of his accident filled his senses. He willed his eyes to open but just didn't have the strength. Somewhere into the darkness he heard a faint voice calling to him:

"Please wake up, Anakin. You have to. Please…just open your eyes."

The voice was desperately sweet and sad at the same time. It continued to call to him over and over again as he drifted in and out of consciousness. The pain throbbing through him still wouldn't let him open his eyes and he still couldn't figure out who was talking to him.

"Anakin, don't leave me. I don't know what I would do, what everyone would do if you did. Please, Anakin, open your eyes. Just once so I know you're alright."

He wanted to, he really did. But he just didn't have the strength. The voice kept calling to him, begging him to come back but he didn't know how.

"I'm here, Anakin. It's me, Padme. I'm not going to leave you. Cliegg, Owen, and Beru are waiting outside and they really want to see you. But they can't do that if you're not awake."

Suddenly something clicked inside of him. It was Padme talking to him. Why didn't he realize that before? Everything was coming back now…the race…the crash…the pain. He managed to turn his head despite the searing pain it caused in his neck. He winced as some light slowly crept in.

The light seemed to shed a soft halo over her and she was beautiful. She was standing over him and she smiled softly down at him. She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Hi."

He forced a quick smile and tried not to groan in pain from the effort. "Where am I?"

"You're in the medical tent. The medics brought you here right after they pulled you from the crash. Your right leg is broken and you broke a couple ribs too. You're very lucky to be alive, Anakin."

He chuckled softly. "Still lost the race though."

Padme frowned slightly and inched closer to him. "That doesn't matter. I'm just glad that you're alright."

He nodded slowly and despite his better judgment, looked her square in the eye. "I'm sorry I scared you."

She smiled and tenderly brushed his hair from his eyes. "I know. I'm not the only one you scared, you know."

He winced again and looked at the rest of his body for the first time. His right leg was wrapped tightly and his other one was badly bruised. He had deep cuts along his arms and he was sure his face and neck were equally cut and bruised like the rest of his body.

He sighed deeply. "Can I see them?"

She smiled contently and nodded. "Of course, I'll get them."

She disappeared for a few moments and re-emerged only moments later with Cliegg, Owen, and Beru behind her.

"There he is! How are you holding up?" Owen exclaimed happily.

"I don't know. What do you think?"

"Well, I have to say you don't look the best. You look like you just smashed into a wall."

"Owen!" Beru smacked his arm while Padme and Cliegg could only shake their heads at the banter.

The reprimanding of Owen came to an immediate halt as Anakin's hearty laughter reached their ears.

"Aww, come on guys. He's going to be just fine."


	9. Chapter 9

SANCTUARY

Chapter Nine

"Anakin! The food's almost ready. Do you want to eat at the table or stay in the living room?" Padme called out from the kitchen.

He turned his head toward the kitchen to answer her. Her back was turned to him as she put the final preparations together for their dinner. He smiled at the domestic scene, something that he had gotten quite used to since his accident.

"I don't know, Padme. What do you want to do?"

She sighed and shook her head at him. "Anakin…why don't I just bring the food to you so you don't have to get up?"

He nodded. "Sounds good to me."

Padme sighed again as she carried their plates over to him. She handed Anakin's to him and carefully sat down next to him. He noticed her caution and smiled warmly at her.

"You know, ever since I got my cast off, I have been a little less fragile."

Her cheeks reddened slightly and she tried to smile her embarrassment. "I know, I know. I guess it's just become a habit. I still can't believe how quickly you healed. I don't think the doctors can either.

He chuckled and looked down at his leg proudly. "I'm a walking miracle."

She smiled tenderly at him and exhaled loudly. "You're right."

He grinned back but it quickly faded when he noticed the hint of sadness in her eyes. They had never spoken about the accident but he knew that he could have died andhe knew she had been scared out of her mind for him. Her former senatorial instincts had automatically kicked in and she remained calm and collected through his recovery from the day of his accident. She took charge of everything, arranging a nurse to visit their homestead at least twice a week. She cooked for him whenever he was hungry, gave him his medication, and stayed by his side as much as her other duties would allow her.

In spite of the brave face she displayed in front of everyone, Anakin knew better. He knew that day had been the worst, most horrifying day of her life. It still pained him when he thought of his first night back at the homestead. Everyone had seemed to be sleeping but him. The pain in his leg and sides were too intense for him to sleep. As he lay restlessly in his room, he heard faint sobs outside his room. His entire body went cold as he realized the sobs could only be coming from Padme. She had given him his room back that night. His heart ached as he listened to her cry, hating himself for being unable to comfort her. He hated that he was too weak to be there for her. She was nothing but a pillar of strength for him and he couldn't even get out of bed.

He sighed and carefully glanced at Padme, who had finished her food and was watching him expectantly.

"So…what should we do now?" She asked.

He looked down at his plate pensively then his gaze returned to her after a moment.

"Would you like to take a walk with me? I think the fresh air would do both of us some good."

She nodded contentedly. "I think that's a good idea."

* * *

Anakin had been right. The fresh air was good for them. They didn't venture very far from the homestead. Anakin was still using a cane to help him walk and Padme linked her arm in his for added assistance. They walked slowly, they didn't really have anywhere else to be and that alone was relaxing enough.

Anakin's roaming eyes found the lone marker a short distance away and turned them to head in that direction. Padme's confusion lingered for only a few moments and quickly faded when she realized where they were headed.

He stopped a few feet in front of his mother's grave and desperately tried to stop his hands from trembling. He didn't want either of them to see him like that. Much to his dismay and delight, Padme's tiny hand slipped into his and she squeezed it tightly.

"She was a wonderful woman, Anakin. I didn't know her as well as I would have liked to but I knew that she loved you. Everything she did was for you."

Anakin nodded, his eyes never leaving the gravestone. "She would have loved you."

She smiled and squeezed his hand again. "I wish I could've known her better."

He nodded slowly and finally turned to look at her. "Me too."

"Come on, let's go back to the house. I think we've had enough fresh air for awhile."

Anakin could only nod before he took one last look at the gravestone. He followed Padme back to the homestead, neither of them saying a word. Anakin's thoughts continued to drift back to his mother's grave as they walked back. It seemed to ironic to him and he almost laughed out loud in spite of himself. A concrete wall hadn't been able to defeat him, but all the strength and good fortune in the galaxy hadn't been able to save her. There was nothing he could have done differently that would have saved her. His brush with death had forced him to accept that. Death was a part of life and as he glanced over at Padme, he vowed to himself not to waste anymore of his time.

By the time they reached the homestead, Beru was pacing nervously outside, waiting impatiently for Padme.

Padme's pace quickened slightly when she saw her distressed friend but she quickly slowed back down when she remembered that Anakin wasn't healed enough to keep up with her.

"Beru! What's the matter?"

Beru opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it. Apparently, she didn't want Anakin to hear whatever she had to say, a fact that did not escape him. He immediately excused him from the two women, to which Beru could only smile gratefully.

Once Anakin was safely inside the house and out of ear shot, Beru turned her face to Padme, nervously biting her lip.

"What is it?" Padme laughed, taking her friend by the shoulders in effort to calm her down.

Beru's hands began to shake slightly as she smoothed over her hair nervously. "I…I don't know how to tell you, Padme."

"Whatever it is, you can tell me."

Beru took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "I'm pregnant."

Padme's mouth dropped open and she quickly covered it with her hands. This reaction only caused Beru to shake harder and she wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

"I don't know what to do, Padme."

"You have to tell Owen."

Beru nodded hesitantly and looked down at the ground, unable to look Padme in the eye. Padme noticed this immediately and she quickly embraced her friend.

"Beru, you don't have anything to be ashamed of. A baby is a wonderful blessing and I know Owen will think so too. It's really that not that big of a deal. You'll just have to move the wedding up, that's all."

Beru nodded again, this time with a little more confidence. "You're right. You're absolutely right. I mean, Owen might be a little surprised since we weren't really planning on this so soon but…"

"A little surprised?" Padme smiled knowingly.

Beru easily returned the smile and even laughed. "I know, I know. We both know that Owen tends to…overreact. But I think everything will be alright. You're right. Nothing's really changed between Owen and I. It's like you said, we'll just have to get married a little sooner than we thought."

"I know. Everything will be fine. You just need to tell him, alright? You won't be able to keep this a secret for long."

This time, Beru laughed loud. "You're right, Padme. And thank you for everything."

"Don't worry about it, Beru. Just focus on telling Owen and just being happy, alright?"

"Ok, thanks Padme. Well, I think I'm going to go inside and wait for Owen."

Padme nodded to her and watched her friend enter the house with a sigh. Things were about to change around the Lars homestead. It was hard to imagine a baby among the men in the Lars family, but then again, it had probably been difficult to image a woman living with them also. She had done it and survived so there was no doubt in her mind that the baby could as well. She sighed again and ran her fingers through her hair. Although she was happy for her friend, it was difficult not to wish that they could trade places. To live that simple existence was something that Padme didn't even know how to hope for. It was pointless to wish for something that could never come true.

She was jolted out of her thoughts when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned and smiled when she found that Anakin was behind her.

"So…what's going on with Beru?" He smiled.

Padme sighed and shook her head. "I don't think I should tell you, Anakin. It's not my place."

"Awww…come on Padme. Whatever it is, I won't tell Owen. I swear."

"I just think Beru wouldn't be very happy with me if I told you."

Anakin frowned, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Please, Padme. I won't tell Owen and I won't tell Beru that I know. My lips will be sealed. I swear."

Padme shook her head, unable to bring herself to betray her friend's confidence.

"Anakin just knock it off. I'm not going to tell you."

Anakin sighed and was about to reply when a speed-taxi pulled up in front of the homestead. Both Anakin and Padme stared as a hooded figure emerged from the speeder. Padme's eyes widened in recognition and began to walk toward the person she was sure she would never see again.

"Sabe?"

The figure removed the hood, revealing that it was indeed Sabe. She immediately ran to Padme and grasped her hands tightly.

"Sabe, what is it? What are you doing here?"

Sabe glanced quickly at Anakin, who stood frozen to the ground, then immediately returned her anxious eyes to Padme.

"It's your mother, Padme. She's dying."


	10. Chapter 10

SANCTUARY

Chapter Ten

"I'm sorry, milady. I know you told me never to contact you and I know I took a great risk in coming here, but you had to know." Sabe paused, realizing that Padme had too much information to digest now.

Padme simply stood frozen in place, her hand covering her mouth in pure shock as she tried desperately to fight tears from spilling down her cheeks. She felt Anakin come up silently behind her and suddenly felt much warmer as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulders.

"What happened, Sabe?" She managed to choke out.

Sabe sighed softly and gently took Padme by the hand. "Your sister contacted me a few days ago and she told me that your mother had been ill since you…since your funeral. Your father finally convinced her to see a doctor a few weeks ago but the illness is already too far along. There's nothing that can be done for her. I'm so sorry, milady."

Something inside Padme broke and the tears began to stream endlessly down her cheeks. Her shoulders began to tremble uncontrollably as Anakin's strong arms came around her. She turned around and sobbed into his chest as he held her.

Sabe took a few steps backward to give them space and nearly collided with a very confused Owen.

"What's going on? Padme…are you alright?" He asked tentatively.

Padme quickly wiped her eyes and put on a brave face. "Don't worry about me, Owen. Beru's waiting for you in the house. You should go talk to her."

This only advanced Owen's growing confusion at the scene he had walked in to. He just shrugged and unknowingly retreated into the house.

Padme watched him go with a soft smile on her face and she even managed to whisper: "He has no idea what he's walking into."

Anakin overheard her and frowned slightly. She just shook her head and even chuckled a little. Suddenly a loud cry and a crash were heard from inside the house. A few seconds of shock passed before the trio hurried into the house.

Owen was scrambling to pick up the broken pieces of the plate that were strewn across the floor as Beru sat at the kitchen table, desperately trying to hide her amusement.

"Is everything alright?" Anakin asked.

Owen looked up from the floor and stared at Anakin square in the eye.

"Yeah…everything's perfectly fine. Oh…by the way, Beru's pregnant and she wants to get married as soon as possible."

Anakin's eyebrows raised slightly and he glanced carefully at Padme who just sighed. Then a rumbling erupted from his chest and he doubled over with laughter. He put a hand on Padme's shoulder to steady himself and the laughter only continued. Padme couldn't help herself, despite everything she had just learned, this situation was just too funny. Her gazed tentatively over at Owen, who was anything but amused, and that finally caused her to break down in laughter.

"Owen…you're such an idiot…" Anakin cried out in between fits of laughter.

"Thanks a lot, Anakin. Thank you very much." Owen spat out.

Anakin only nodded smugly and looked over at Beru, who had a curiously amused expression on her face. "Well, I suppose congratulations are in order, Beru."

She nodded his way, a bright smile spreading on her face. "Thank you, Anakin."

Beru turned her attention to Padme and finally noticed the confused stranger at her side.

"Who's this, Padme?" She asked, immediately fearing the worst had happened. "Oh no, Padme…did someone find out? Do you have to leave?"

Just like that, the laughter ceased and reality drove itself back into the foreground. Anakin coughed loudly and his heart twisted at the pained expression that had appeared on Padme's face.

She sighed loudly and sat next to Beru at the table. "This is Sabe, my former handmaiden. I instructed her never to contact me personally but she came here today to tell me that my mother is dying."

Beru reached out and squeezed her friend's hand tightly. "Oh Padme…I'm sorry…and everything's that happening now…I'm so sorry…none of this can be easy on you."

Padme shook her head furiously. "No, Beru. You shouldn't let my situation take anything away from your happiness. Just think…you'll be married soon, you'll have a new baby…you have so much to be excited for and I'm so happy for you. I really am."

Beru smiled sadly. "I know you are. But you're going to have to leave now, right?"

"Yes…I don't know when I'll be back…I'm sorry I'll have to miss your wedding."

Beru shook her head and shot a determined glance toward Owen. "No, you won't. It's not like the baby's coming tomorrow. Besides, you're supposed to be my maid of honor, remember?"

Padme could only nod as fresh tears tumbled down her cheeks. Beru reached for Padme's other hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"You need to go home and see your family…and when you get back, Owen and I will get married."

Padme cast a tentative glance toward Owen, who simply shrugged his shoulders in defeat. "Don't look at me," he said. "I don't have a say in the matter."

Beru and Padme exchanged a quick glance and both women burst out into laughter.

"Maybe you should start getting your things together. I'm sure you want to leave as soon as possible."

Padme nodded quickly and immediately stood to pack. As she made her way to Anakin's room, she felt Anakin's eyes on her. She walked briskly into the room and sighed deeply before attending to the task at hand. She really didn't want to leave but there was no other choice.

Several minutes later, Anakin knocked on the door lightly before entering.

"I just wanted to let you know that I can take you and Sabe to the transport as soon as you're ready."

Padme smiled softly. "Thank you, Anakin."

He smiled sadly and started to leave before Padme's gentle voice stopped him.

"This might be too much to ask but…would you come with me?"

Anakin took a step closer to her and bit his lip nervously. "Padme, I would be honored."

"Thank you…I just don't know if I can face them alone."

He nodded in understanding. "Well, you won't have to."

"Thank you, Anakin. My mother…I don't know if she'll understand and now…I don't even know how much time I have left with her."

He wordlessly gathered her in his arms tightly and rubbed her back soothingly. "They'll probably be angry and confused at first, Padme but don't you think they'll just be happy that you're alive?"

Padme exhaled deeply into his chest and buried her face in his shirt.

"I know, Anakin." She mumbled.

"You don't have to worry," He whispered in her hair. "No one except your family will see you. You'll be safe. I promise you."

She nodded and her grip around his neck tightened. "Thank you."

As she spoke, her face turned toward him, her cheek pressed against his. Her breath came in short gasps and he couldn't decide if she was crying or if it was something else. However, he knew that that was too much to hope for, especially now.

"We should go now." He murmured gently as he stroked her hair one last time.

She nodded and his arms slowly released her. He swiftly picked up her small bag and motioned for her to follow him. Within minutes, their good-byes were said and they headed toward the public transports, their destinies entwined with the outcome of their trip.


End file.
